Hongdae salon for half-up waves and pink makeup: Moi Hair Makeup

Why I chose Moi Hair Makeup in Hongdae before my dress tour

I had a self-wedding dress tour scheduled in Gangnam, so I got my hair and makeup done beforehand at Moi Hair Makeup in Hongdae. After looking around, I found it's known for trendy yet bright makeup near Hongdae, so I went there!

The value is good, and they styled everything in a savvy, on-trend way, so I was really happy before my dress tour. Here's my Hongdae hair and makeup review 🫶

Where is Moi Hair Makeup, and what about parking?

Moi Hair Makeup is right in front of Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station, in the basement of the Olive Young building at the start of the road into Yeonnam-dong, so it was really easy to find :) It's open 05:00-18:00 and has parking in the building, so it looks convenient for anyone searching for a makeup or hair and makeup salon in Hongdae 🚗

The entrance already has a stylish feel, so my expectations went up before I even walked in ✨ Inside, the white-toned interior catches your eye, clean yet cozy! It's such a comfortable space that I was in a good mood before the makeup even started 🥰

Waiting area and fitting room: is it comfortable for a companion?

Moi Hair Makeup has a separate waiting area, and my fiancé waited there comfortably haha. He said the sofa was plush and the wait wasn't boring at all!

There's also a separate fitting room, so I thought it would be perfect to visit before a wedding shoot, a self-snap shoot or a dress tour 🤍

They also have a water purifier and a coffee machine, so you can tell they pay attention to even these little details ☕

Flat roots: how they styled my hair in a half-up wave

I booked the daily hair and makeup package at Moi Hair Makeup for the dress tour, and they started with the hair! My root volume was very flat from frequent straightening perms, and my head shape is a bit cone-head type, so I wanted lots of volume at the front and sides. I'm also thinking of a half-up style for the wedding itself, so I asked for a half-up look with waves falling naturally beside the neck :)

First they smoothed my hair with a dryer, then carefully added root volume! They used plenty of spray for hold, so the volume didn't fall flat even as time passed 👍

Then they divided the hair into sections and tied the top part naturally into a half-up style! I loved that they kept checking whether the section size was okay and took my opinion into account, aww 😭

The lower hair got the thick waves I wanted! The curls weren't overdone, just lovely and natural, so I had nothing to ask them to fix 🤍

The half-up hair is done!! They said they'd touch up the bangs and root volume once more after the makeup base haha. I think details like this are why there are so many reviews saying this is a great Hongdae hair and makeup place 😊

Even before the makeup, the hair alone changed my whole impression 😳 Exactly the natural-plus-a-little-lovely look I wanted! So we decided to go with bright pink-toned makeup 🌸

Breakouts, a round nose, inner double eyelids: how pink makeup balanced them

The color cosmetics at Moi Hair Makeup, a Hongdae makeup salon...!!! They have such a wide range of colors that they can do makeup that fits your skin tone and the mood you want ✨

I brought a photo from the makeup I had for my wedding photo shoot as a reference, and if you have a mood in mind, I really recommend bringing one 📷

This is my bare face before makeup, embarrassing haha 😂 I had a few breakouts and was worried about visible pores, so I mentioned those first! I also feel self-conscious about my round nose, so I asked them to define the nose bridge, and since I have inner double eyelids, I asked for makeup that makes my eyes look naturally bigger!

Right after the base! Just the base evened out my skin tone and covered the breakouts naturally!! The skin finish wasn't heavy, which made me even happier 🤍

The shading to balance my round face and nose was done so delicately :> They checked my hair once more at this point, and after the makeup was finished they tidied up the flyaways and curls to the very end!

Throughout the makeup they kept checking whether the colors were okay and whether I wanted anything more, which I think led to a much more satisfying result 🥹

Finished makeup designed for dress shop lighting

And now, the big finished shot!! Looking at the bright pink makeup, all I wanted was to try on dresses right away...💗 When I mentioned the dress tour, they set the makeup direction so my face would look bright even under the lights, and I liked it much more than I expected!

Will inner double eyelids and monolids look bigger too?

I have inner double eyelids and some fat on my eyelids, so eyeliner and shadow tend to get swallowed up, but at Moi Hair Makeup they made my eye shape stand out with lashes, and my eyes looked really big 👀✨

So I'd like to recommend Moi Hair Makeup to anyone looking for a place that's good at monolid makeup in Seoul or Hongdae! It wasn't an over-the-top style but naturally brought out my strengths, so I looked much prettier haha

I was so satisfied with the hair and makeup... 🤍 They said they also do hair and makeup for wedding shoots and the ceremony itself, but I had already signed with a ceremony vendor, so I was almost a little disappointed 😂

They also gave me a spare lip product, which made reapplying lipstick throughout the day really convenient! haha

And the before-and-after photos!! I never thought makeup alone could change the mood this much, but my overall impression got brighter and my facial contours looked much more defined ✨

How the hair and makeup looked and held up at the dress tour

⭐ I really recommend getting hair and makeup done before a dress tour ⭐ Under the dress shop lighting, both my face and the dress looked much brighter, and the difference in mood was huge 🥹

At the last dress shop, the helper also styled my hair in a bun, but I still preferred the natural half-up style from Moi Hair Makeup 🤍 I'm going to bring this photo as a reference when I go for consultations with wedding-day hair and makeup shops too!

It lasted really well too: my makeup was still looking great after the dress tour, through dinner and even when we took photo booth shots (Korean four-cut photo strips)!! Highly recommend Moi Hair Makeup!!! 🌟🌟🌟

If you're weighing Hongdae makeup, Hongdae hair and makeup, or monolid makeup, I recommend Moi Hair Makeup for anyone who wants a natural but bright style 🫶✨